the neighbors never cut their fields and so the chiggers get into my horse pens and my horses suffer yearly. I used to spray yearly to control them because every year, I have to soak my horses legs in warm water and bentadine as I pull the scabs off to allow the wounds to heal. To treat your own skin, the best way I've found is to climb in your bathtub of really warm water with Epsom salts and soak. You will see the tiny white tubes come out of your skin and float on top of the water. It works. Soak for 30 minutes. Use half a bag of Epsom salts and then use Caladryl on the bites so you don't scratch. It will take a few weeks for the bites to heal. But it works.

We have an extreme case of chiggers in our yard. I've heard it's because of the warm winter in our part of the country. We have tried killing them with the granular yard spread we typically use but it didn't seem to make a difference this year. Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Cheryl from Missouri from Peculiar, MO

Answers:

Getting Rid of Chiggers

I have heard that sprinkling powdered Tide detergent all around the yard will help, and re-applying it after a few rains. I have never tried this and don't know for sure if it will work. Seems to me the chiggers will move around from a neighbor's yard to yours, so you might have to get the whole block involved. (06/28/2006)

Getting Rid of Chiggers

The best things is that after trying the nail polish method..without finding out why first, I took the time to see what is really correct. Chiggers don't burrow in the skin like most people think. The nail polish doesn't kill the chiggers, they probably have already eaten their share and have fallen off. They do not move to another host, they die. The red bite is from the enzyme that they have left in your bite, which takes several days to wear off. There are multiple ointments that can be used to ease the itching, but the best way to prevent future chigger bites is being prepared before going into where they habitat. Also washing up in the shower thoroughly after going into the outdoors. Washing is the best way to keep them from attaching initially, and will reduce the numbers or the chance that they will bite you at all. (07/08/2008)

Getting Rid of Chiggers

I am a tough old farm girl, but I have an allergic reaction to chigger bite. I get huge welts then fever and pus filled sores. I have farms and have not been bitten for over 20 years. A doctor treated me and told me that I would never have to worry about them again if I only did this one thing. Get a bottle of pine oil, the real stuff not just a pine cleaner with a small percentage of pine oil in it. I get one called Ocean Pine Oil from Ocean Coffee Company Shreveport , Louisiana. As soon as you get home run a bath and put in 1 Tablespoon of the pine oil in the water, (I usually put in lots more) and take your bath and you will never know you had one on you, it kills them instantly. I will never be without it again!

You can also wet a washcloth and put your tablespoon of pine oil on it and wipe yourself all over then rinse. I put this stuff on my dogs about 50/50 before their bath , do not get it in their eyes .and it kills the fleas and ticks then rinse them. Deodorizes them too! I do not have them in my lawn so I never thought of it until now but i guess you could spray your lawn with the diluted( like your bath water mixture) and kill them also! (05/26/2009)